Continuously oriented map with position indicating means



|. E. ELM 2,311,650

GONTINUOUSLY ORIENTED MAP WITH POSITION INDICATING MEANS Feb. 23, 1943.

Filed March 6, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet '1 jjzwge Z 441461041 I ATTORNEYS l. E. ELM

CON'I QNUOUSLY ORIENTED MAP WITH POSITION INDIOATING MEANS 1; 1a 1626 zs Filed March 6,

1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR [ENHB E ELM ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 23, 1943 CONTINUOUSLY- ORIENTED MAP WITH POSITION INDICATING MEANS Icnar E; Elm, Piedmont, Calif.

Application March 6, 1940, Serial No. 322,438

4 Claims.

Thepresent invention relates to improvements in a continuously oriented map with position indicating means, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a continuously oriented. map: with position indicating means, which is an improvement over my copending. application ,on an; Automatic continuousv geographical position indicator, Serial No; 273,938, filed, on May 16, 1939. In this copending case I showa frame supporting a turn-- abletable, in which maps or charts, are removably secured. The maps; carryplugs; that are placed in positions corresponding. to actual lo-- cations, ofradio broadcasting stations. Direction indicating means, such as pointers, lights or shadows, arerctatably attachable to, the desired plugson the; top surface of the map, while. flex.- ible. shafts are. removablyconnected to the sameplugs from theundersurfaceof the-map. The. flexible; shafts. continuously rotate the direction,

indicating means in accordancewith the, changing; positions of radiowave receiving means.

The intersection of the. direction indicating; means willgive the exact location on the mapofthe craft continuouslyinwhich the map and deviceare mounted.

No meansareshown intheacopending caseior, continuously and, automatically orienting the map-or chart. and one of the objects. of the pres? V ent invention is to: automatically and. continu-v ously orient the mapso thatthe latter will al.- waysbe, pointing true north. Theirame that supports the map-carrying. platform permits,

ready and free access to: the underside-of the.-

map. Theplatform is.;hinged f.or swinging the platform. andmap upwardly when" it; is desired to, make a change in the. flexible. shafts from one plug to another; that is, from one point indieating a. radio broadcasting station to another. The underside. of the map is, free from obstruction to permit the'free-interchange of the-flexible shafts from one plug to another..

The maps or charts .are removably held in the platform and; may bereadilychanged. as the craft or vessel proceedsalongits course. The scales of themaps mayvary asdesiredand the smaller thescale, the more accurate .the reading; is made possible by the intersection of the pointers-, lights or shadows.v In. other words, a 1. to 100 mapris far more accuratethan a 1 to 100,000 map; The flexible'shaftsrare preferably slidably received in sleeves, which are carried by the same base thatsupports the-'rotatable-frame and platform. The ends of the, flexible shaftsthat connect with plugs; carry couplings, and these-couplings. prevent the shafts from entirely sliding through the sleeves when they are disconnected from theplugszduring aninterchangeof maps or charts.

Other objects: and. advantages will appear'as the specification proceeds, and the novel features.

of the device will be set forth in the appended claims.

My invention iscillustrated in. the. accompanying; drawings, forming part" of this application, in which:

Figureil is a topplan view of the device;

Figure 2 is. a section-taken along substantially theline 2-2 of Fignreily Figure 3."is a section taken substantially along the line 3-3- of Figure 1 Figurev 4 isan enlargedisectional view taken.

along the line. 4-4 of-Figurel and.

Figure-5is va plan view; of the. underside of the pointers :showing the-ends of the flexibleshafts;

in section.

While I have shownthepreferred form-.of-my invention, it should be understood that various:

changes or modificationsmay' be made Within the. scope of the-appended claims withoutdeparting fromthe spirit of the invention.

In carrying; outmyinventionI provide a'base.

A, arotatableframe B. carried by the base, and a mapcarrying platform G hinged-tothe frame. Thebase- A may'beof any construction'desired. I have shown the base as comprising; two radially-extending supports or. legs I and 2. with a central portion- 3. Figure l shows-.thelegs land.

2 making an obtuse angle and permittingyaccess tothe frame-B.

The frame B is inthe shape of an inverted tripod with three arms 4-, 5 and'6 extendingup- Wardly and outwardly at an angle 'from'a vertical extending androtatable-standard l. The latter isrotatably supportedby a bearing 8, which is carried by the central portion 3. The standard I is operatively connectedto a. gyro or a: gyro repeater, indicateddiagrammatically at laand is automatically rotated in synchrony therewith. Figure 2 shows the-gyro or gyro repeater mechanically connected'to, the standard I and it is obviousthat an electrical connection may be substituted, if desired.

The platform C is .hingedlysecured.,tothe legs 5 and 6- of theframe B at9and I0,;se.e.-Figures l and 3. The front portionpf the platform carries a strike plate ll, seetFigure'3; and this-plate rests on a support l2. A" latch l3' is:plvota1ly ures 1 and 3, which are pivoted to the platform C and swingable to overlie the map Hi. In this way the maps or charts are removably secured in place.

Each map or chart has a plurality of, plugs and 20a. extending therethrough. Each plug is positioned on the map to give the exact location of a radio broadcastig station or other source of any radio signal. The map illustrates the territory being traversed by the craft and the radio stations in the territory are depicted in their exact locations on the map by the plugs. Two of the plugs 20 and 20a are shown in enlarged sectional detail in Figure 4. Both plugs have threaded portions screwed into threaded openings in'the map l6, and the enlarged plug heads 2! and-"2m carry radially extending pins 22 and 2 20..

Flexible shafts, which have housings 23 and 23a, carry couplings 23b and 230 that are provided with bayonet slots for removably receiving pins 22 and 22a. The flexible housings 23 and 23a. slidably extend through sleeves 24 and 24a, which in turn are carried by the legs I and 2, respectively. Each flexible housing rotatably carries a driving member and these are shown at 25 and 25a. in Figures 4 and 5. The free ends of the members 25 and 25a have keyed sockets 26 and 26a for receiving correspondingly keyed members 21 and 21a, centrally disposed in sleeves 28 and 28a. Pointers 29 and 290. are supported by the sleeves and the keyed members prevent the pointers from being connected to the driving members with 180 ambiguity. I

I In Figure 2 I show the flexible shafts 23 and 23a operatively connectedto loop orienting motors, which are illustrated diagrammatically at wand 30a. Radio receivers 3! and 31a are operatively connected to the loop orienting motors, and the loops- 32 and 32a, oriented continually by the motors to be normal to the receivedradio waves. Each loop is brought to a null on the station to which the radio is tuned and this null is continuously and automatically maintained without 180 ambiguity.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The device is made ready in the following manner:

The latch I3 is freed and the platform C swung upwardly about its hinges into the broken line position shown in Figure 3. The couplings 23b and 230 are disconnected from their plugs and the flexible shaft-s 23 and 23a will slip through the sleeves 24 and 2411 until the couplings bear against the sleeves. The clips 19 are now turned to free the map or chart [6 and permit the insertion of the desired map. The new map is secured in place by the shoulder 18 and the clips l9. With the platform C still in an inclined position, the flexible shafts 23 and 230. are connected to the desired plugs 20 and 290. by the couplings 23b and 230. The platform is now swung back into a horizontal position.

The operator tunes the radio receivers 3| and 3Ia to tune in the broadcasting stations corresponding to the plugs 26 and 2M that are connected to the flexible shafts 23 and 23a. The pointers 29 and 29a are connected to the same plugs and they will be swung in synchrony with the loops 32 and 32a. The loops are automatically and continuously rotating so that their planes will always remain normal to the incoming signals. The pointers 2Q and 29a will at all times point from the broadcasting stations and the intersection of the pointers at X in Figure 1 will give the exact location of the craft with respect to the map it. The pointers will move continuously and the intersection point'X will trace the path of the craft, vessel, or vehicle over the map.

removed and a new one substituted therefor in' the manner already described for the first map.

During this entire operation, the standard I will automatically be kept rotating to always cause the arrow in Figure -1, designated by the letters T. N., to'keep pointing to the true north. This is one of the principal features of the invention. The other feature is the shaping of the base A to give ready access to the underside of the platform C.

The frame B is designed to rotate the platform to keep the "T. N. arrow always pointing true north, and the frame gives freedom of access to the underside of the map IS. The flexible shafts 23 and 23a. can be quickly changed from plug to plug, as required. The'sleeves 24 and 2411 need not be carried by the base A, but could be secured to some other support. The word craft includes any vehicle used for navigation or avigation of water, land, or air. The flexible shafts 23 and 23a may be connected directly to the loops 32 and 32a, if desired.

The term radio broadcasting station, as used in the specification and claims, is to be construed broad enough to include the source of any radio signal which may send out signals as broadcasts, ranges, beams, etc. It is possible to case the loops 32 to assume a'position in uniform relation to the source of signal, other than null, and the word normal in the claims is to include any practicable and operable position the loop maintains with respect to the signal source.

I claim: i

1. In combination, a base having a central support with two legs extending radially therefrom and forming a wide angle therebetween, sleeves carried by the legs, a frame rotatably carried by the base, a platform hinged to the frame, a map removably secured to the platform and having plugs disposed at positions corresponding with locations of radio broadcasting stations included in the territory represented by the map, flexible shafts slidable in the sleeves and being connectible to the desired plugs from the underside of the map, the wide angle formed by the base legs permitting ready access thereto,- and direction-indicating means swingable over the top of the map and being connected to the shafts.

2. In a device of the type described, a frame, a platform hingedly secured to the frame, a map removably carried by the platform and having openings therein representing the locations of broadcasting stations in the territory depicted by the map, pointers mounted on the face of the map and being swingable about any of the desired map openings as centers, flexible shafts removably secured to the pointers from the underside of the map and having portions passing through the openings associated with the pointers, said platform normally lying in a horizontal position and being swingable into an upright position for facilitating the manual changing of the flexible shafts from one set of openings to another whereupon the platform may again be swung into a normal position.

3. In combination, a base, a frame rotatably carried thereby and being operatively connected to a gyro or gyro-repeater for continually orienting the frame, a platform hingedly secured to the frame, a map removably carried by the platform and having plugs located in positions corresponding to broadcasting stations located in the territory represented by the map, flexible shafts connectible to the desired plugs at the underneath side of the map, direction indicating means connectible to the shafts and swingable over the top of the map, and means operatively connected to the shafts for continuously causing the direction indicating means to point away from the broadcasting stations represented by the plugs to which the shafts are connected, and to intersect each other, said platform normally lying in a horizontal position and being swingable into a vertical position for facilitating an operator in changing the flexible shafts from one set of plugs to another whereupon the platform may again be swung back into normal position.

4. In combination, a base, sleeves carried thereby, a tripod frame rotatably carried by the base, a platform hinged to the frame, a map removably secured to the platform and having plugs, flexible shafts slidable in the sleeves and being connectible to the desired plugs from the underside of the map, and direction indicating means swingable over the top of the map and being connected to the shafts.

IENAR E. EIM. 

